Jack for roofers, painters, &amp;c.



PATENTED MAY 9, 1905.

J. W. WAINWRIGHT. JACK FOR ROOPERS, PAINTERS, (5w.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, 1904.

Patented May 9, 1905.

JOHN l/V. WVAINWVRIGHT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

JACK FOR ROOFERS, PAINTERS, 81.0.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 789,640, dated May 9,1905.

Application filed May 25, 1904. Serial No. 209,681.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. WVAINWRIGHT, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of Philadelphia,State of Pennsylvania,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Jacks or Scaffolds forRoofers, Painters, &c., of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of a jack or scaffold more particularly adapted tobe sustained on a metal roof for purposes of roofers, painters, &c., thesame being provided with means for automatically clamping or securing itto such roof, more particularly the seam thereof.

It also consists of details of construction, as will be hereinafterdescribed, an d'pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a jack embodying my invention.Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the securing or clamping deviceemployed. Fig. 3 represents a vertical section on line 90 m, Fig. 1, onan enlarged scale. Fig. 4 represents a vertical section on line y y,Fig. 3.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in thefigures.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a jack or scaffold for roofers,painters, &c., the same, excepting the feature of my invention appliedthereto, being of usual construction.

B designates a pair of jaws whose normal position is open, said jawsbeing pivoted, as at C, and depending from the toggle D, whereby, as isevident, when said toggle is opened said jaws move toward each other andwhen said toggle is closed opening motion is imparted to said jaws.

E designates the pivot of the upper levers of the toggle at the topthereof, said pivot being connected with the upright member of the jack,whereby said toggle depends from said member and the jaws B occupy aposition at the bottom portion of said member and project somewhatdownwardly below the lower end thereof, it being noticed that said jawspoint downwardly, so as to open from below, and that the normalpositions of the jaws and toggle are as shown in Fig. 2, the opening ofthe jaws being due to the closed condition of the toggle.

The operation is as follows: The jack is located upon a roof and thejaws in open condition are placed over the seam or groove F thereof, asshown in Fig. 1, it being noticed that the under walls G of the axialportion of the jaws is above said seam or groove. As the jack lowers,due to its weight or gravity,

said walls G of the jaws contact with the up-v per edge of the seam asan abutment, whereby as the toggle is connected by the pivot E with thejack lateral motions are imparted to the levers of the toggle, and sothe latter opens, whereby the jaws are moved toward each other or closedand embrace the seam or groove F and are tightly clamped thereupon, thejack thus being interlocked with the seam, and so is controlled againstslipping or downward motion. When the jack is to be removed, it israised, and as the pivot E follows the same the toggle is caused toclose, so that the jaws are opened, whereby the latter are removed fromthe seam and the jack is entirely disconnected from the roof.

Secured to the memberFof the jack is the plate H, the same forming acovering for the toggle and preventing the hand of the workman fromcontacting with the same and adjacent portion of the jaws.

The lower ends of the jaws are inclined, as at J, so as to conform tothe pitch or slant of the roof, so that should a seam be of less heightsaid ends will contact with the roof, thus raising the jaws, opening thetoggle, and causing said jaws to close upon and clamp said seam, theclosing and clamping actions being increased by the downward tendency orweight of the jack imposed upon the pivot E, as in the previous case.

It is evident that when the jack is slightly raised it may be readilymoved from the gutter upwardly to the top, or vice versa, and the jawsthen engage with the adjacent portion of the seam or groove F, thuslocking the jack in position as before.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction shown withoutdeparting from the general spirit of my invention, and Ido not,therefore, desire to be limited in each case to the same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A roof-jack of the character stated, a pair of movable jaws, leverscontinuing upwardly from said jaws, and a pivot connecting said leverswith said jack, whereby the weight of the jack when located on a roofautomatically closes said jaws and the elevation of said jack carriesthe levers with it and automatically opens said jaws.

2 A jack, levers pivotally connected therewith, a pair of movable jawscontinuous downwardly from said levers, and a pivot connecting said jawsand the lower members of said lever, said lever depending from the jackand said jaws depending from said levers, whereby said jaws areautomatically closed by the weight of the jack and automatically openedby the elevation-of the same and the ascent of said levers and jaws withthe jack.

3. A roof-jack, apair of opposed jaws, and levers connected with saidjaws and with said jack, said levers depending from said jack, and saidjaws depending from said levers and having the under side of theirpivotal portions adapted to abut against an upwardlyprojecting member ofa roof and automatically close upon the same.

4. A roof-jack of the character stated having self-closing jawsconnected therewith and depending therefrom so as to engage a projectingmember of the roof.

5. A roof-jack having jaws adapted to engage with a projecting member ofa roof, and a toggle carrying said jaws, said toggle being connectiblewith a member of the jack.

6. A roof-jack having a toggle pivoted at its upper end on said jack,and jaws depending from said toggle, said jaws being adapted to clamp aprojection of a roof due to the abuitment of said jaws with a member ofthe roo 7. Ascaffold provided with retaining means adapted to engage thestanding seam of a metal roof or the like.

JOHN W. WAINWRIGHT.

Witnesses:

J OHN A. WIEDERSHEIM, S. R. CARR.

